Sinking
by Liz Williams
Summary: Weekly Challenge at Unbound. Words 981


Title: Sinking  
  
Author: Liz Williams  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own them even a little bit. Have massive student loans and a huge cactus and Venus fly trap collection, but that's pretty much it if any one wants to sue.  
  
Summary: This is from the Unbound Weekly Challenge. First and last sentences are given, has to be around 1,000 words. Is 981.  
  
A/N1: CHARACTER DEATH, fair warning.  
  
A/N2: Thanks ever so to N for the quick Beta. Any mistakes are mine alone, for she is a Goddess.  
  
Sitting tied up in a car sinking to the bottom of Lake Mead wasn't quite how Sara had planned to spend her day off. In fact she had planned to go for a long run, take a relaxing bath, then curl up with a good book for the rest of the night. She had only managed part of the first.  
  
Cold water swirled around her ankles as she struggled vainly at the ropes that held her in place. She thought of the paths that she had not take, the ones that she had. Of the long winding road full of tight switch back turns, deep potholes, steep inclines, sharp drops, but the road was never boring and it always held a thrill.  
  
These last six months had been the most exciting and rewarding. She and Grissom had become friends again, then something more. For the two months they had been living together, openly.  
  
The water had reached her chest and though she still continued to struggled against the ropes that held her it was for form sake now.  
  
When the water reached her chin she started to cry, silent tears streaming down her cheeks.  
  
When the water reached her lips she screamed out her rage and despair. Her struggles were in earnest now; she could feel the ropes cutting through the soft flesh of her wrists. They held her with a vicious bite across her chest and waist. Her feet were numb the ropes having long cut off the circulation.  
  
When the water came up to her eyes she closed them. Her lungs were burning from holding in the air. Resigned she breathed out her thoughts on her friends, her family. The men and women she had worked with for the last five years. The last fifteen. Of Grissom. Then of nothing.  
  
# # #  
  
When Sara hadn't picked up the phone Grissom hadn't worried. She had been lazing around in bed when he had left her. It was her night off and for once she didn't have any opened cases so she had opted to stay home. Jokingly she had tried to coax Grissom into playing hooky and staying home with her. And while she had not been wholly successful she had managed to make him late for shift.  
  
When Sara hadn't answered his page Grissom hadn't really started to worry. He knew that she planned to go out for a run and have relaxing bath. He had become hard thinking of her in the bath all soft and warm. It had taken all his will power not to just leave, to go home to her and make love to her for the rest of the night.  
  
By the end of shift having still not heard from Sara Grissom had grown concerned. He rushed home to find the house empty, no sign of Sara at all. Grissom tried calling her on her cell again, but all he got was the recording about the cellular customer being out of the calling area.  
  
There was nothing missing from the house, all of her belongings where still more or less where they had been when he had left for work. Reining in his emotions, Grissom started at the front door and walked through his house as if it were a new crime scene. He held in a shudder at that thought.  
  
After a thorough sweep he determined the only thing that was missing were a pair of Sara's running shoes. Even her wallet and pager were still on the side table near the door.  
  
Panic started to set in and he placed a call he didn't want to make. Calling others would make this real. It terrified him.  
  
# # #  
  
A citywide bulletin had been issued, but still there was nothing. The entire lab was working tirelessly to find her. The entire police force was pulling double and triple shifts trying find Sara without being paid any overtime.  
  
As the minutes passed Grissom could see the looks of determination become looks of despair. The words of hope became those of defeat.  
  
As the hours passed no said what they were all thinking, that Sara was indeed dead. That nothing could have kept her away and out of touch for this long.  
  
As the days past slowly everyone gave up working on her finding Sara. There was a sadness around the lab that nothing could shake.  
  
# # #  
  
Three days later divers who had been looking for a gun from an unrelated drug case found the car. The swing shift team had been called in to officially handle the investigation, but every member of the night shift team was present.  
  
There was a horrible stillness in the air, a pall of misery hung over them all.  
  
Despite the fact that it was a swing shift case it was the night shift that approached the car first when it had finally been pulled from the murky depths of Lake Mead.  
  
Grissom stood for a long time before finally approaching the car and opening the front door. A rush of water drenched Grissom's pants and shoes, nearly knocking him off his feet, but he took no notice. All of his worst nightmares were playing out before him in horrific techno colour and surround sound.  
  
It was her. He refused to believe it was her. There was no way it could be her, his heart said, but his brain knew it was her.  
  
Her laugh. He would never again hear her wonderful laugh. Her teasing tone as they joke about on a case. Her eyes, her expressive eyes darken with passion when they were alone. He would never be able to tell her again how much he loved her. He would never hear her say how much she loved him. He would miss the soft caress of her hand.  
  
Her smile--her beautiful, beautiful smile. 


End file.
